New Zealand: All stories
CARBON CATCH-22: The pollution in our soil
23 Jun 2017
Bad behaviour doesn’t usually have good consequences but our fossil fuel and fertiliser habits may have had some “good” environmental side-effects.
Government keeps lid on Buller mining papers
22 Jun 2017
The Government is refusing to release briefing papers on proposed new coal mines on the Buller Plateau.
Tyre mountains will be turned into biofuels
22 Jun 2017
An Otaki company with a plan to turn mountains of waste tyres into biofuels says the key to success is processing them at multiple sites around the country.
COUNTRY CALL: Farmers want ETS and water price
21 Jun 2017
Parts of the agricultural sector are calling for farming to be included in the Emissions Trading Scheme and for a price on water.
World’s largest coal company to retire 37 mines
21 Jun 2017
The largest coal mining company in the world, Coal India, has announced plans to decommission a total of 37 mines which are no longer economically viable.
OPINION: Adaption versus mitigation
20 Jun 2017
Adaptation is about survival. Mitigation is about finding and implementing solutions to prevent the need to go into survival mode, says DR ANN SMITH chief executive of Enviro-Mark Solutions
Scientists fear EU rules will hide forest carbon loss
20 Jun 2017
Leading researchers have condemned attempts to change the way carbon from trees will be counted in Europe.
The story of climate change ... with a sting in the tail
20 Jun 2017
Worth a look: Here’s a short video to put recent climate change and carbon dioxide emissions into the context of the past 800,000 years.
OCEAN OIL: Algae strain doubles fuel production
20 Jun 2017
Making biofuel from algae has just got a little bit easier - a newly engineered strain produces twice as much oil as its wild parent.
How KiwiRail decision bites into e-car benefits
19 Jun 2017
The climate benefits of half New Zealand’s electric car fleet will be wiped out by the scrapping of electric train engines in favour of diesels, says an international sustainable energy expert.
Solar power will kill coal much quicker than anyone thought
19 Jun 2017
Solar power is becoming cheap enough to push coal and even natural-gas plants out of business faster than previously forecast.
How do you price the impact of trucks on society?
19 Jun 2017
An EU trucking lobby group has published a report claiming that trucks are overpaying in taxes and charges compared to the impact of some of their external costs. The report raised a few eyebrows.
OECD (again) tells us to clean up our climate act
16 Jun 2017
New Zealand needs to set strong environmental limits and make polluters pay for the damage they do to the environment, the OECD says.
Do-something campaigners take the climate helm
16 Jun 2017
A climate declaration backed by at least some parts of the business community will be launched in New Zealand on Sunday.
Apple issues second $1 billion green bond
16 Jun 2017
Technology conglomerate Apple has issued its second green bond valued at $US1 billion, making it the biggest issuer of green bonds pegged to the American dollar.
TOWER POWER: Another solar system is on the march
16 Jun 2017
Solar generation systems can now produce electricity and store it for hours, using solar tower power without any need for batteries.
We must do something, dairy industry agrees
15 Jun 2017
The dairy industry is acknowledging it needs to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
FISH FACTS: Scientists say our claims are biased
15 Jun 2017
New Zealand’s claims that its commercial fisheries are sustainably managed are under fire from international scientists.
Business interest in CSR is growing
15 Jun 2017
Almost half New Zealand businesses say sustainability reporting should be mandatory, a new survey suggests.
Global demand for coal falls for second year in row
15 Jun 2017
Global demand for coal has fallen for the second consecutive year, according to a BP study, helped by the US and China burning less of the dirtiest fossil fuel.
DEAD CERT: This is when the anthropocene era began
15 Jun 2017
Israeli researchers claim to have pinpointed the first permanent geological change made by humankind, the moment when humans first altered the planet’s geology.
Trump made us do it, says carbon-cutter Carlsberg
15 Jun 2017
Carlsberg has unveiled plans to reduce its brewery carbon emissions to zero, singling out Donald Trump’s withdrawal of the US from the Paris climate agreement as a motivating factor.
OFF THE RAILS: Treasury tells of train troubles
14 Jun 2017
Treasury told its ministers that KiwiRail’s decision to replace electric locomotives with diesels raised some significant matters, but it wasn’t given enough time to assess the situation.
Coal is dead, says world’s largest investment group
14 Jun 2017
BlackRock investment group, with $5 trillion in assets, is bullish on electric cars and renewables.
CLIMATE CASUALTIES: Where the wild things ... aren’t
14 Jun 2017
Climate change is multiplying existing threats to much of the natural world, and more species face an unparalleled extinction risk.
... and the future's not too bright for our trapdoor spider
14 Jun 2017
New Zealand's trapdoor spiders could disappear from many areas as a result of climate change, putting pressure on other species.
Investors push for more green reporting
14 Jun 2017
Investors are pushing companies for more meaningful environmental and social disclosure.
What biofutures need is America's Cup energy
13 Jun 2017
New Zealand could have a thriving biofutures industry, producing clean products from waste and cutting greenhouse gas emissions, if it put as much effort into addressing climate change as it puts into the America’s Cup yacht race, says the Bioenergy Association.
Hopes rise for longer-term climate forecasts
13 Jun 2017
A study of the interaction between sunlight, air, water and foliage should lead to better longer-term climate forecasts, scientists say.
Costa Rica bids for world’s cleanest transport system
13 Jun 2017
Riding atop one of the world’s greenest electrical grids, Costa Rica is now aiming for the next logical step: having the cleanest transport system on the planet.
Farm waste could feed industry worth millions
12 Jun 2017
EDITORIAL | Queensland’s drive to develop a $100-million-a-year industry turning agricultural waste into bioproducts is exactly the type of thing New Zealand should be doing.
What's pre-industrial climate ... and why does it matter?
12 Jun 2017
The Paris Agreement aims to limit global warming relative to a pre-industrial baseline. So, what are “pre-industrial levels”?
What is this thing called mitigation banking?
12 Jun 2017
Ask 12 people what mitigation banking is, and you’ll probably get 12 different answers – few if any of which would identify it as a key segment of the $25 billion ecological restoration economy.
Coastal litter goes under the spotlight
12 Jun 2017
The Government is spending $260,000 reviewing the extent of coastal litter problems.
English still quiet on cost of climate damage
9 Jun 2017
Prime Minister Bill English says he has received no advice on the impact climate change could have on the economy.
COMPUTER GAMES: Science invests $18m in super stuff
9 Jun 2017
NIWA is investing $18 million in new supercomputers that will significantly enhance scientists’ abilities to solve crucial issues facing the country.
Port Nelson gets wine trucks off the road
9 Jun 2017
A project to improve the efficiency of freight in the Marlborough wine industry has seen the Port of Nelson cut greenhouse gas emissions by 1600 tonnes – and earned it a gong.
Ladies, here’s a responsible investing platform just for you
9 Jun 2017
A new investment platform wants to tap into women’s growing financial clout and guide them towards more responsible investment.
Coal India looks to diversify
9 Jun 2017
Coal India is looking to diversify its operations in the face of long-term uncertainty for coal because of the government’s thrust on renewable energy.
Electric cars accelerate past 2m mark globally
8 Jun 2017
The number of electric cars in the world accelerated past the two million barrier last year, as prices fell and manufacturers launched new models.
British industry eyes green powerhouse status
8 Jun 2017
The UK could be a green business powerhouse in the next three decades, but only if given proper support by government, a group representing more than 30 low-carbon companies has said.
Warmth will worsen wet and dry extremes
8 Jun 2017
Wet and dry extremes across the world will become more marked as the planet heats up, evidence from past climates shows.
Enviroment award winners make their mark
7 Jun 2017
The winners in last night’s Enviro-Mark awards between them prevented more than 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide being discharged over the past year – the equivalent of 20,000 cars driving from Bluff to Cape Reinga.
It's like taking nine million cars off the road
7 Jun 2017
More than 43 million voluntary carbon credits globally were retired last year – the equivalent of removing 9.3 million cars from the road, a new analysis says.
Booming dairy industry drives up emissions
6 Jun 2017
Methane emissions from New Zealand’s national dairy herd have climbed nearly 130 per cent since 1990 as a result of the expansion and intensification of the dairy industry.
We're disappointed, PM will tell Tillerson
6 Jun 2017
Prime Minister Bill English will raise the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement when he meets with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson today.
Search begins for best sustainable businesses
6 Jun 2017
Entries for this year’s Sustainable Business Network Awards are now open.
Companies should take charge of potential toxins
2 Jun 2017
Every year thousands of new contaminants enter the market in common consumer products and are washed down our drains without treatment
Emissions on right track, says Finance Minister
1 Jun 2017
Finance minister Steven Joyce, who explained yesterday that he didn’t have time to mention climate change in his Budget speech, says New Zealand’s emissions are heading “in the right direction”.
Researchers post new ideas for emissions trading
31 May 2017
A carbon price ceiling and floor, controls on the number of carbon credits circulating in New Zealand, and forward agreements for New Zealand to buy credits from developing countries are among new proposals to get the Emissions Trading Scheme cracking.
Pacific climate response in question as NZ finance remains unclear
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With New Zealand's $1.3 billion international climate finance commitment set to end with no clarity on what follows, the Auditor-General says oversight of that funding remains patchy and long-term outcomes are unclear.
NZ hydrogen regulation to catch up with the world
18 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The government has announced a regulatory reset for New Zealand’s emerging clean tech hydrogen sector.
State-owned farmer drives profit growth with emissions reductions
19 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Government-owned Landcorp, trading as Pāmu, is one-third of the way to meeting its 2031 emissions reduction targets, with five years left to run to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30.3% against 2021 emissions.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
NZ could become ‘dumping ground’ for dirty vehicles: Commissioner
16 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, has warned the Government that its changes to the clean car standard could turn the country into a dumping ground for high emitting cars, making future emissions budgets harder to achieve.
Uncertainty eroding confidence in forestry sector
5 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Warnings are mounting that tree planting is set to plunge to “very close to zero”, as new Ministry for Primary Industries data shows ETS registration applications falling sharply as confidence in forestry declines.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
